For those of you who haven’t heard, I will be testing recipes for the Tampa Junior League’s Cookbook Blog throughout the launch of the new cookbook Capture the Coast. I am honored that I was chosen and am excited for the upcoming recipes that I will be preparing for my family and friend… All recipes that I test will be written up and posted on the JLT Cookbooks blog, as well as here…

Old cookbooks are always a hoot. Some recipes must have appealed to the original audience (Horseradish Mold, anyone?) but aren’t as likely to find fans today. Kathy Zahn, JLT member and blogger, was kind enough to try out one of the more timeless recipes from A Taste of Tampa, a versatile and family-friendly Taco Salad.

Have you ever found a recipe that you love, looked at the ingredients, and thought to yourself…”Hum, how can I make it better and how can I make it mine?” Well, that is how my mind works most of the time and even my husband years ago caught on to this way of thinking and began asking, “What’s the love sauce tonight?” …which brings me to this recipe…

This Taco Salad recipe comes from the Taste of Tampa cookbook. True to the theme it is “quick and easy” and all items if not already in your kitchen, are easy-to-find at the super market. I am sure that most of you at one time or another has made a Taco Salad, but this one is a little different. The donator of this recipe gave it some “love sauce”. In addition to the Taco seasoning you had a half a packet of dried onion soup mix and the flavor is immediately kicked up another notch. I would love to run into her on the street and ask her “what made you think of this” because even my husband commented on the subtle change and said that the salad was delicious.

Another great thing about this salad is that you can cut the vegetables any way you like. The recipe calls for slices, but if you are short on time you can always run into the supermarket and buy most of the ingredients pre-chopped and ready to go. The total cost of this dinner salad for the family runs around $10…but if you are like us you won’t want to forget the salsa and sour cream! Bon Appétit…